Hello my lovelies!

I hadn't realised it has been quite as long as this.  I have been working on a new project.

This has taken me to pluck up the courage to create a wordpress website where I can now create my bloggyness too.

So pop on over to HappinessBackpack.com to see me there!  Every Thursday I am hosting a Thankful Thursday gratitude blog party, so anyone with a blog can join in & link us all together.  It would be rocking awesome if you wanted to play too!

So, how has everyone been?

We have had, just after my last post, on Valentines day, the bombshell diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes for my little girl Bini.  It has since been a total rollercoaster of overcoming needle phobias (hers and mine), managing food plans and dealing with the scary this-could-actually-lead-to death hypos.  Luckily hers have been mild so far and she can spot them coming on, but it is still stressful and a couple of times she has become uncooperative.

We have also had some issues with her school.  Although these have been resolved now, we are considering home schooling for this next term to help get her health restored & plug any gaps in her learning before she starts secondary school.

It has been a big learning curve for us all, and it feels like it is only just the beginning.  Which it is, really.  This is her with diabetes for life now, scientific cure notwithstanding.  She has been amazing, and is really handling it well.  Better than me probably.  What a shit thing for an 11year old to deal with.

I am off now to count carbs.  Its a new field for me, as I have never considered the carb content of anything.  Wish me luck!

oh yes, and rather excitingly, I have had my first guest blogpost published at the lovely Tia's site http://inspiredlifeblog.com/2013/03/01/are-you-happy/
xxx

Thankful Thursday 24th January 2013

Today I am grateful for:

• A gentle day to rest in, and allow my cycles of energy to just Be.
• A clean bedroom & house.  Oh boy did I go frenetic on the cleaning and decluttering front.  I had to skype my husband to ask him if there were any parts of the house that he was particularly attached to before I threw everything out!
• SNOW.  Oh we had a long weekend thanks to the white stuff & managed a fair bit of sledging and throwing snow.  Obviously that also resulted in some crying and whining but mostly it was thoroughly enjoyed.  And now its mostly all gone & its safe to drive again.
• MinestroneSoul.com's Jo Bradshaws Branding course that I am in week 3 of.  Really looking forward to our first group call tomorrow.
• A hot bubble bath to start the day.  How bloody decadent! 
• Create your incredible year workbooks.  Yes, I know I have mentioned them before, but still loving them.  Got my business one printed out yesterday.  whooohoo.  (Still not too late to get yours if you want to kick butt on 2013!  Thanks to everyone who has got theirs thru my link.  Love you!)
• Empty laundry hamper.  oh yes.  breathe in in Jacs, it is a brief moment of content!
• Green smoothies.  Detox here I come.
• Tintin animatedly reading us the opening chapter of the story he's writing.  It involves teenaged zombies.  Nice.  I love 8 year old boys, soon to be 9.
• The full cupboards of delicious food Roo & I shopped for yesterday.
• The Fire starter sessions book by Danielle LaPorte.  Really juicy stuff.

Happy New Year!

Well, I hope you enjoyed all those brilliant imaginary blog posts I constructed for you.  I hope you agree with me that they were hilarious, witty and moving all at the same time.  I also hope you got them by telepathy, since I failed to use the more normal channels!  Why do I do that?  Think of great things and then never commit them to paper, or to update the phrase, commit them to binary code.  This will hopefully change & you might get to see what I have to say!

Meanwhile, in other news, I am loving my 2013 yearplanner from Leonie Dawson.  If you haven't got one, I heartily recommend doing so.  If you'd like to use this affiliate link I would love you forever,  honest.

One of the projects in the life version of the year planner, is to write out a list of 100 things to do in 2013.  I am currently at at 59.  It is surprising how hard it is to come up with 100!  They can be anything and indeed are ranging from '#58:Get a new car' (I know, right?  eeek) to '#56:phone Brandon in Hawaii' to the mundane '#41:get wills updated' (blurgh) and '#41:work out how to get photos off phone and onto blog'.  Some of them I have already done, like #4&5:spring clean kids toys, but not #41, else I would have a picture to show you what it all looks like!

Christmas for us was, like many people it seems, a succession of poorly people interspersed with some loveliness.  Luckily we were at least at my Brother's house before my Beloved became ill, so we got to hang out gently with lovely family.  Then when back at home, we just did lots of watching Christmas movies and occasionally getting some fresh air at the park.  Interestingly, it was absolutely perfect.  Just the holiday that everyone needed.  Funny that.

So, a very Happy New Year to you all.  Lets make 2013 the year that Rocked!

Breathing through the manic

Well.  I don't know about you but I am really trying to remember to breathe through the mayhem.

There just seems to be so much to do, and get done and wrapped up.  I always feel that I need an extra week at this time of year.  This year though, I am determined to do things a bit differently.

Although there is alot to get done, partly because I set myself grandiose home-made gifts, I am going to let myself off by the weekend.  Once the kids have finished school, then I am going to glide into Christmas.  Honest.

And in the meantime, this week, I will also be remembering to breathe, deeply and slowly.

How is your run up to Christmas going?

Inspiring 2013 comin' your way!

Oh my goodly goodness Leonie Dawson has unleashed this next years workbook & planner.  I have printed off my copy already.  So utterly excited and inspired.  And this year I have printed it out in full glorious colour, because I am worth it, dammit!  Oh it looks so inviting.

For the first time, this year she has also done a business version, with specific focus on creating and expanding your own glorious biz. 

I think I am equally in love with both!  The life edition has greater focus on personal stuff, although there is some personal in the biz edition, since lets face it, if you are your business then it needs to contain all of you in a good & healthy way.

Haha, and double excitement, on checking out that my affiliate link is working, I discover that I am on her page with testimonial.  I think I may have actually squealed out loud, but luckily I was alone at the time.

What I love about Leonie's workbook, is the way you focus on the coming year in a deep, expanded spiritual way, but with action steps and planning too.  It comes with a lovely calendar that you can use to plug your dreams straight into.  I use my own calendar because I like my own one, but what I do love about Leonie's is lovely little offerings in some of the days.  Like, today is love yourself day and sweet drawings & pictures.  Like all of Leonie's stuff, it is a visual feast that lifts me every time I go to it.

If you have been thinking about trying out some of Leonie's glorious offerings, then this is a really well priced entry point.  And something you can enjoy all through 2013.

If you decide to get yourself some of this loveliness, I would be girl-crushingly grateful if you could use this link.  Thank you scrummy one!

Click here to get your inspiring 2013

What are your big dreams for 2013?

Jaci x

Thankful Thursday. 1st November 2012

Today I am grateful for

• An easygoing gentle halfterm
• Happy Ever Arter on the full moon with some of my Best-ies
• Helping run the craft session at the community cafe.
• Watching my 3 shades of blonds feeding the ducks with a bag of duck-grain.  Bini got much braver than usual and actually took to stroking the larger white one & was besotted with how soft it was.  Wish I'd remembered my camera.
• A night out at this talk last night.
• A really lovely connection with a beautiful soul at the talk.
• A weekend of Brothers.  Hanging out with G & D with assorted womenfolk and children's.  So lovely to spend time with them.
• Playing a riotous game of Pit with my brothers.
• Lots of lovely logs.  Thanks Mum!
• Getting my studio cleaned up.  Ready to get gloriously messy again!

Darkening changes

This coming wednesday is Samhein.  Which I think is the beginning of the celtic new year.  

So a good time to take stock and do a bit of soul searching.  As we move into the cold.  The dark.  With the clocks going back today, tonight will come early.  Will I rebel & rail against it as I often do.  Or shall I make this year a different experience.  After yesterdays sunshine, today is a grey day.  Pale grey, with a sky almost low enough to touch.  How can I make this day of change work smoothly for me and mine?  

Like yesterday, I think some outside time is the best option.  Nurturing food.  Warm soup.  Porridge.  Lighting the fire and sitting together around it.  An early night.  

Its a crazy plan but it might just work!